You're Not Going To Die On Me
by TheInfallibleSnaps
Summary: Marlene, Sirius, James, and Lily split up for Order patrol. Marlene and Sirius run in to none other than Bellatrix Lestrange. One-shot, slight Blackinnon.


Bellatrix Lestrange's intent face as she threw the knife was the last logical thing Marlene remembered registering. All rationality dissolved as it hurtled through the air, the blade glinting. To Marlene, it seemed to travel in slow motion until it lodged itself in Sirius' ribcage. His eyes widening, he staggered into a tree and dropped to the ground.

Marlene screamed and dived at Bellatrix, who cackled and dissolved in a column of black smoke. Scrambling to rise from the ground, she sprinted across the courtyard to Sirius.

"No. Absolutely not," she mumbled, searching for the wound as she knelt next to him.

Sirius laughed, or the closest thing he could manage to a laugh.

"You are _not_ going to die on me, Sirius Black. You're not allowed to do that."

"We'll see," Sirius rasped. He attempted to sit up.

Marlene pushed him back to the ground. "You've been watching too many dramatic muggle films. There is no way you're dying. No bloody way."

"Bloody, yes," he muttered.

Marlene gingerly touched the protruding hilt of the knife. Blood was quickly staining his robes.

"You're going to be fine."

"I'm going to be fine," repeated Sirius, slowly inching his hand to the wound.

"I'm going to take the knife out now," said Marlene as calmly as she could manage.

Sirius winced. "How much experience do you have with pulling knives out of stomachs?"

"Oh, shut up, Sirius," said Marlene, suddenly brisk. "Listen, I'm going to numb it first, but it's going to hurt."

"I never would have realized," said Sirius absolutely seriously.

Marlene pointed her wand to his ribcage and began muttering incantations. She set her wand aside.

"I'm not going to numb it again after I take the knife out because that's going to make it hurt more later. I'm going to do it now, okay?"

"You do that," said Sirius wearily. He leaned back and squeezed his eyes shut.

Marlene wrapped her fingers around the knife. Closing her own eyes, she tugged on the hilt as gently as she could. Sirius gasped, and Marlene was holding a bloodied knife. There was a clatter as she dropped it and set to cleaning the gash.

Sirius' breath was ragged and shallow.

"You're going to be fine," said Marlene again, this time as if she was convincing herself.

"Get—James—" Sirius began. He craned his head to his left and coughed.

Marlene flinched at the splatter of blood on the ground. "I can't leave, Sirius."

"It'll just take a second," said Sirius weakly, trying to sit up again.

"Do you have a death wish, Black?" said Marlene crossly. "Sit _down_. And I'll get James once I settle this."

"That won't be…necessary," said Sirius, a small smile on his face.

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh, god, what happened to him?"

"James!" Marlene whirled around and threw her arms around him.

"What happened? Is he hurt?" said James, immediately dropping to his knees next to his best friend.

"No, Prongs, I'm just lying here on the ground with a bloody knife next to me for fun," groaned Sirius as he once again tried to sit up.

"If you sit up one more time I'll—" Marlene began furiously.

"What, put the knife back in?"

"Knife? What knife?" said James, his voice panicky.

Behind him, Lily let out a small scream, covering her mouth with the back of her hand. "Who…stabbed him?"

"His lovely cousin," said Marlene, wrapping her arms around Lily. "Shh, it'll be fine." _Like I know whether he was going to be fine_, thought Marlene.

Lily crouched next to him. "Sirius! Sirius, are you all right?"

"I've just been stabbed, so naturally I'll be fine," said Sirius sarcastically.

"I'm going to fetch a Healer," said Lily.

"Go," said Marlene hoarsely. "Hurry."

"What do we do?" said James desperately. "I never took the healing course!"

"Lucky for him I did, then," said Marlene, unable to speak above a whisper.

"Marlene, don't cry," said James, wrapping an arm around her.

"I'm not crying," said Marlene weakly. As if directly defying her, her vision blurred with unshed tears.

Sirius had shifted to his side and closed his eyes. Marlene smoothed his hair back from his forehead while James watched the rising and falling of his chest.

"James," she whimpered. "Is he going to die?"

"That's ridiculous," said James tightly. "No. Sirius is going to die when he's old and grey and not as ridiculously good-looking."

Marlene managed a shaky laugh. "I've—I've done the best I can bandaging him. We just have to wait for Lils and the Healer now."

James didn't say anything. His hazel eyes were fixed on Sirius.

"James. N—none of us are going to make it through this war, are we?"

"Oi," said James sharply. He yanked Marlene by the arm so that she faced him over Sirius' form. "Listen to me. Don't say that. We're going to see the end of this. We are. And we won't have to watch our backs every five seconds for Death Eaters. All right?"

Marlene shrugged her shoulders, averting her eyes. James ran a hand through his hair and slid against the trunk of a tree to the ground. Marlene joined him, sitting cross-legged.

Maybe he was right. Maybe they would survive. But it was as if a cloud of darkness was spreading over Marlene, and she submitted to the possibility of her death. However, there was still a glimmer of hope inside her. Maybe, just maybe, it would all be over and they could stop living in fear.

**Thanks for reading! Reviews appreciated:) **


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